Clocktower Summit—the battle raged fiercely.
Patrol Captain Duncan struck first, his earth-yellow magic crystal-embedded staff moving rapidly.
The staff’s tip traced intricate and precise patterns in the air, instantly forming a dense, earth-yellow magic circle.
It was Rock Lance Pierce, a fifth-tier earth magic.
Several sharp rock lances materialized from thin air, accompanied by a cutting sound as they pierced fiercely toward the Seventh Seat from different angles.
The Seventh Seat in the black robe stirred, planting his staff on the ground.
A dark purple circular defensive magic circle expanded beneath his feet, shadow energy swirling like a vortex to shred and swallow the rock lances whole.
It was the Shadow Barrier he had used, a fifth-tier shadow magic.
Duncan’s assault pressed on relentlessly.
He spun his staff again, sketching new patterns even faster.
Wind Pressure Slash, wind magic, still a fifth-tier spell.
Though Duncan was a sixth-tier mage, fifth-tier spells crystallized faster and consumed less mana.
He couldn’t be sure of that shadow’s strength yet—he had to proceed cautiously and probe!
Upon finishing the spell, an almost invisible compressed wind blade silently bypassed the front defenses and slashed toward the Seventh Seat’s face at a sharp angle!
The strike was swift and brutal, clearly aiming to tear off the mask hiding his identity!
The Seventh Seat was startled, sharply turning his head.
The wind blade grazed the edge of the mask, the fierce pressure causing a faint cracking sound, leaving a shallow white scar.
He spun around.
So close, his true face was nearly exposed! What a troublesome opponent!
“Cover the Captain!” The other patrol members reacted immediately, intensifying their assault.
One raised his staff, pointing it at the Seventh Seat’s feet.
It was Mire Quagmire, a third-tier earth magic—not very damaging, but highly effective at hindering movement.
In an instant, the ground softened, restricting the Seventh Seat’s mobility.
Another member unleashed Luminous Bind, also a third-tier spell meant to restrain and disrupt.
As the magic completed, several bands of light slithered like serpents, coiling around the Seventh Seat’s limbs.
***
The Seventh Seat snorted coldly.
Facing multiple attacks, his staff traced increasingly complex arcs in the air.
A dark magic circle quickly enveloped him—
Shadow Burst, a sixth-tier shadow magic.
A surging wave of dark energy exploded outward from the Seventh Seat, dispersing the light bands and instantly evaporating and hardening the muddy quagmire beneath his feet.
Even two nearby patrol members were staggered backward by the force.
In front of them—
Everyone gasped upon seeing this.
The black-robed figure was at least a sixth-tier mage, perhaps even seventh-tier…
Seizing the opportunity, the Seventh Seat pointed his staff toward the side with the most opponents.
Dark red runes flickered at the tip, and suddenly he unleashed the fourth-tier spell Shadow Arrow Rain!
Countless sharp, dark arrows rained down like a torrential storm, covering a wide area.
If struck, ordinary patrol members would suffer serious injuries!
“Watch out!!”
Duncan shouted, stepping forward swiftly.
He slammed his staff to the ground, summoning a massive Earth Wall that rose up just in time to shield the team.
The dark arrows slammed into the rock barrier with sizzling sounds, rapidly pitting and cratering the surface.
The battle entered a brief stalemate, but the Seventh Seat knew he couldn’t linger.
If that woman, Rofilia, arrived, escape would be impossible.
A resolute gleam flashed in his eyes.
He raised his staff overhead, beginning to condense an immense surge of mana.
This time, the patterns traced at the staff’s tip were more complex and profound than ever before, radiating a chillingly ominous aura!
“We can’t let him finish casting!”
Sensing the terrifying mana buildup, Duncan launched his full power again.
His staff swung, forming a gigantic flame magic circle above the Seventh Seat’s head.
It was Scorching Inferno, raging fire that morphed into molten lava, about to flood over the Seventh Seat like a tidal wave.
Other team members also unleashed their spells, desperately trying to halt the black-robed man’s technique.
However, just as most of the magic was about to strike, the Seventh Seat completed his spell!
The space behind him seemed torn open, and a massive magical creature emerged with a piercing roar.
Its size was comparable to a large wyvern, entirely composed of condensed shadow energy.
Its wings unfurled, membranes glowing with faint blue runes, and its claws gleamed with a deadly chill.
It was a summoning spell!
Everyone watching couldn’t help but widen their eyes—this man wasn’t just skilled in elemental magic; he was also highly proficient in summoning magic.
He was an incredibly tough opponent!
The Shadow Wyvern flapped its wings fiercely upon appearing, whipping up a powerful shadow storm that clashed against the patrol’s combined assault spells.
The Seventh Seat leapt precisely onto the Shadow Wyvern’s back.
“Chase him!” Duncan refused to let him escape so easily.
He rapidly pressed his staff, unleashing a series of fire spells that blasted toward the wyvern’s wings.
The Shadow Wyvern emitted a sharp screech, agile as ever.
It performed a rapid roll and dive in midair, evading the magical attacks and exhaling a thick blast of Shadow Breath.
The black energy swept downward, aiming for the patrol members attempting to intercept its flight.
Duncan quickly changed tactics, swinging his staff in a circle to release Sandflow Vortex, diverting most of the Shadow Breath away and protecting his team.
But in doing so, he missed the best opportunity to intercept.
The Shadow Wyvern seized the opening, flapping its wings with full force.
It became a black streak, racing toward the distant horizon.
Its astonishing agility soon reduced it to a tiny black dot, vanishing into the night.
“Damn it!” Duncan’s face turned ashen as he watched the foe disappear.
The team regrouped, exhaustion and frustration etched on their faces.
At that moment, the second squad arrived with a report:
“Captain, the Teaching Building’s rooftop is empty, but we found this…”
“What is this…?” Duncan frowned at the metallic object before him, completely unfamiliar.
It was a long, peculiarly shaped metal device with a tubular structure and wooden stock—intricately made, yet showing no obvious magical aura.
Even Duncan, experienced and knowledgeable, frowned.
None of the patrol members could identify what it was.
Little did they know, this was the sniper rifle Sefina used for “calling out.”
Direct involvement was too risky for her, but using a physical weapon with no magic required from a summoned body was much safer.
After the summoned body fired its single custom bullet, Sefina immediately retracted it, leaving the rooftop empty.
As for the experimental sniper rifle? The purpose had been served, so discarding it didn’t matter—it was just an imperfect prototype with low accuracy.
At this very moment, Sefina herself…
Was outside the city.
She had already slipped away quietly from Oselenka Academy amid the chaos, now standing at the edge of a secluded forest just outside the royal capital.
The night wind rustled her blue hair, and her wine-red eyes calmly scanned the surroundings.
The plan was far from over; the final step had to be completed here.
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